Vulnerable
by ineXpressible
Summary: Sakura discovers that the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto runs deeper than friendship. Needless to say, she doesn't take this well. SasuNaru [Unofficially Complete] New poem means a new chapter
1. Chapter 1

**Vulnerable**

Poem: Innocence by **Irving Layton**

_How does one tell_

_One's fourteen-year-old daughter_

_That the beautiful are the most vulnerable_

Sakura smiled softly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her demure gaze was trained on Sasuke, who was watching with amusement as Naruto endeavored to put up the tent that would be his, Sasuke, and Kakashi's sleeping quarters for the night.

Growing fed up, Naruto paused his fruitless struggling with the tent and observed it with a thoughtful gaze, his tongue peeking out from between his lips. After a moment, he let out a jubilant sound and pulled the tent into an upright position, staring at Sasuke with a smirk that dared him to comment.

A light blush dusted Sakura's cheeks as Sasuke spoke; he was never one to decline a challenge, especially when it involved showing up their far too loud teammate, Naruto.

"I'd be impressed if I didn't know it was going to collapse within a matter of moments, dobe." Sasuke drawled; a small smirk upon his lips as Naruto let out an indignant huff of air.

"Hm," he pouted, crossing his arms and turning up his nose, "If you think you can do better, be my guest." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke, oblivious of the other boy's droll eye roll.

"Naruto," Sakura interjected with an exasperated tone, "_You_ were the one that insisted on setting the tent up without _any_ assistance whatsoever from Sasuke." She glanced at Sasuke, expecting to see an approving gleam in his eye, as she spoke.

He remained silent and didn't cast her a second glance.

"But Sakura-chaaaaaaaan!" Naruto whined, pointing to his tent and pinning his long-time crush with endearing puppy-dog eyes, "I managed to do it! It will stay up. Sasuke's just being an assh-"

A cloud of dust rose from the direction Naruto's finger was pointing accompanied by the sound of breaking twigs.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and surveyed Naruto with a bland look, "You were saying something about me, Naruto?" He prompted in an amused tone.

"Shut up." Naruto snapped, staring at the heap of junk that was once his tent with a forlorn expression.

Amused at the scene before her, Sakura bit back a giggle and instead turned her focus on Kakashi, who was entering the clearing with an armful of firewood.

"I see you boys have made some progress…" He commented, throwing a brief glance at the junk that was Naruto's tent, "If I had known you two would be finding the firewood I would have set up the tent. I guess it was just one big misunderstanding." Kakashi sighed dramatically with a sober expression.

"I'm going for a walk to find…stuff." Naruto announced, glaring at Kakashi and slowly striding towards the edge of their tiny clearing. He paused when Sasuke cleared his throat.

"I better go too, if I don't Naruto will probably end up somewhere in Sand…" He quickly followed Naruto, leaving Kakashi and Sakura alone.

The kunoichi sighed and listened as their footsteps traveled out of hearing distance while staring at her feet, trying to quell the heavy feeling in her heart.

Naruto and Sasuke were going off again, leaving her behind.

"Do you know what they do?" Sakura asked in a quiet voice, not meeting Kakashi's eyes as he paused in his attempt to fix the damage Naruto had brought upon the tent to glance at Sakura.

"Who?" Kakashi let go of the corner of the tent he was holding and turned to fully face his female student.

Suddenly realizing what she was saying, Sakura blushed and flinched away from Kakashi's gaze, "Never mind…"

She was a ninja, if she wanted to know why they were constantly disappearing she would track them and find out for herself.

"I'm going to find a nearby river." Sakura stated and leaped out of the clearing and into the trees, her ears trained for any sound of Sasuke and Naruto.

If she knew them as well as she thought she did they were probably making a ton of noise and arguing and fighting…Sakura cringed as she remembered the last time Sasuke and Naruto had fought on the roof of the hospital.

If that was why they always disappeared…

Hushed whispers caught Sakura's attention and she slowed before leaping soundlessly to the ground.

"Sasuke…" A soft voice, Naruto's, whispered in a strangled tone.

Sakura's eyes widened as she imagined Sasuke's hand around Naruto's throat, holding him in a fearsome grip.

She inched forward, zoning in on their location before quietly parting the bushes between her and her teammates.

_And that a rage_

_Tears at the souls _

_Of humans_

_To corrupt innocence_

A strangled sound escaped Sakura's lips as her eyes took in the sight before her with frightening speed, leaving her breathless and horrified.

"Sasuke…uhn…"

Sasuke was hunched over Naruto, who was lying in the grass completely nude, and kissing him fervently, eliciting passionate gasps from the blond. His own clothes were discarded nearby and his skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat. The sound of his breathless grunts rode above the gentle breeze.

On most occasions, Sakura would give anything to see Sasuke in the nude…

But this…

She let the bush fall shut and turned away, her hand flying to cover her mouth as she stumbled away from the clearing on uneasy feet.

"No…" She gasped quietly, still following the jagged path her feet were carrying her upon. The acidic taste of bile rose in her throat and Sakura dropped to all fours, purging her body of her most recent meal.

They weren't…

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as her body wracked with the gags that were emptying her stomach.

Her retching paused a moment and she drew a shuddering breath before beginning the cycle all over again, this time letting the tears in her eyes fall.

Sasuke and Naruto were…fucking…behind her back.

She clenched her eyes shut and fisted her hands in the grass beneath her fingers, reigning in the sob that threatened to pass her lips.

If they heard her…

What?

What would happen if they heard her?

Sakura bit her lip and raised her body until she was sitting on her knees mere inches away from her bile.

Could she pretend she hadn't seen them?

No…

Her gaze became steely as tears continued falling down her cheeks, seeping through her lips and plaguing her tongue with a salty flavor…

She wouldn't pretend she hadn't seen the love of her life fucking _Naruto_ in the middle of a forest.

_And to smash butterflies_

_To see their wings_

_Flutter in the sun_

Sakura remained where she was, confident that Sasuke and Naruto would take the same route back to the camp…which meant they would pass her.

The front of her shirt was soaked in her tears and more were still falling as the image of Sasuke having sex with, never mind kissing, Naruto continued to play before her eyes.

All she'd ever wanted was a kiss from him.

One kiss…

One tiny reassurance that he would one day return her feelings.

"Sakura…"

The pink-haired kunoichi bristled as that annoyingly bright voice spoke her name.

How dare he…

All she wanted was a kiss...

Naruto stole her kiss…and so much more…

"Sakura are you o-" Naruto's hand gently touched her shoulder and she smacked it away with surprising force.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, jumping into a standing position and spinning to face her teammates. Sasuke's eyes were dark with understanding…and…no…

Naruto's were wide, shocked…hurt…

Good.

"Sakura…" Naruto shyly stepped forward but halted when Sakura's hand flew to her kunai holster.

"How dare you…" She hissed, the onslaught of tears strengthening as she glared vehemently at Naruto, "You know that I love him and you…you…" She clenched her eyes shut and tightened her grip on the kunai in her hand, drawing a calming breath.

It would be so easy to throw it…

"Sakura I…"

"Shut up Naruto." Sakura snapped, taking a step away from them and watching with a trapped look as that stupid, fucking blond took another step forward, "Shut the fuck up." She repeated, clenching her eyes shut and shaking her head slightly, "Don't touch me, don't come near me, don't _speak_ to me, don't say me name, do-"

"That's enough." Sasuke cut her off in a sharp tone.

Sakura's eyes flew open and her face burned with something akin to embarrassment.

…Sasuke was standing up for Naruto…

That look he was giving her…it was definitely…

"No…" She whispered, taking another step backwards, "No! No! No! _No!"_ She screamed as loudly as she could. So loud that she could feel her voice clawing its way from her throat. She hunched over and let the scream overtake her body, take away her pain.

Sasuke was staring at her with hate…

"Sakura…please, I'm sorry…" Naruto whispered, his eyes sparkled as he tried to take a step towards her.

Sasuke's eyes flashed with livid anger and his hand snapped out to clasp Naruto's arm, "Don't you dare apologize." He murmured in a furious tone, glaring at his lover.

"Sasuke…I…" Naruto glanced down at the ground, and Sakura had the distinct impression that he felt as if he were the one being wronged in this situation…

"You fuc-" Sakura began, pulling her kunai completely from its holster and closing her eyes again…she couldn't.

Wouldn't was the more fitting word.

"Sakura, we didn't mean for you to fi-"

Excuses, Sakura thought wryly. She didn't want to hear them.

"How long?" She commanded through a clenched jaw as she fought back the tears that insisted on falling.

Naruto gulped and glanced at Sasuke for support. He complied, placing a comforting hand on Naruto's lower back, glaring at Sakura.

Daring her to object…

"Which? How long have we been together or having sex?" Sasuke asked in a bland tone.

"I hate you…" She murmured, realizing what Sasuke was doing. He was…he was…

Trying to hurt her…

"I hate you both so much." Sakura whispered, glaring at Naruto, happy that he looked so lost, so hurt.

The kunai, she had held clenched in her hand went soaring towards the boys, just high enough to not harm either of them, but low enough to nearly be a threat.

"Naruto," She murmured in a dead tone, turning away from them, "This is our first official B-rank mission," She commented idly, hiding the waver in her voice, "If you die I can hardly say I'll be upset."

Naruto's face went white as she walked away, ignoring the deadly hiss of air that Sasuke exhaled. It was true.

She'd never been so badly hurt in her life.

It was fitting that the two people to hurt her most would be those she considered to be closest to her.

_Pulling weeds and flowers_

_From the soil:_

_And that all, all_

_Go under the Earth_

_To make room for more_

_Weeds and flowers_

_-Some more beautiful than others_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own dickall.

Thanks a ton for the reviews!

**Vulnerable**

Poem: Alone by **Edgar Allan Poe**

_From childhood's hour I have not been  
As others were; I have not seen  
As others saw; I could not bring  
My passions from a common spring.  
From the same source I have not taken  
My sorrow; I could not awaken  
My heart to joy at the same tone;  
And all I loved, I loved alone._

"Naruto," Sakura murmured in a dead tone, turning away from them, "This is our first official B-rank mission," she commented idly, hiding the waver in her voice, "If you die I can hardly say I'll be upset."

Naruto's face went white as she walked away, ignoring the deadly hiss of air that Sasuke exhaled.

Sakura walked until night fell, part of her mind keeping track of her position in reference to the campsite. She had cried as she walked until her eyes could no longer develop tears to release.

A wan smile teased the corners of her lips, creating a solemn picture of broken beauty. She remembered a time when she had never thought it possible to cry away all your tears.

She had called that truth an overdone, unrealistic, cliché.

The sound of her name being called in Kakashi's smooth voice echoed in the distance but she ignored it in favour of curling up in a ball against a tall sturdy tree, unsure of where her current revelations left her.

Naruto and Sasuke were having a relationship that in no way involved her.

Her throat tensed and she forced herself to swallow around the pain of a new build up of tears.

Was it possible to cry this much?

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Sakura lowered her head to her knees and clenched her eyes shut. Thinking was the last thing she wanted to do right now. The only thought in her head was the mind-numbing memory of Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke's cold eyes as he chose Naruto over her, daring her to object, to embarrass herself further by making even more of a scene.

It was all Naruto's fault. Naruto was the reason Sasuke didn't love her, he _had_ to be. If Naruto weren't there, Sasuke would be hers.

_Her_ Sasuke.

**_Not_ **Naruto's.

"Sakura…" Kakashi's voice was closer, but still far enough away that he wouldn't reach Sakura within the next five minutes.

She didn't want to go back to camp; to sleep in a tent alone while Sasuke and Naruto slept together in a tent with Kakashi, probably cursing his presence because it kept them apart.

But…what if Kakashi knew? What if he'd known all this time and hadn't told her?

He had been keeping her busy and away from Naruto and Sasuke when they went off alone…

She bit her lip as tears began to flow again…

So Kakashi was in on the secret too…

_Then– in my childhood, in the dawn  
Of a most stormy life–was drawn  
From every depth of good and ill  
The mystery which binds me still:_

"Sakura…" Kakashi leapt to Sakura's side and took in her pathetic state.

Actually, all things considered, she didn't look as bad as he had expected. Her cheeks were blotchy while her eyes were stained a miserable red, but other than that, she looked fine.

"You knew didn't you?" Sakura murmured in an accusing tone, not opening her eyes or lifting her head to acknowledge her sensei's presence.

"I had my assumptions yes." Kakashi replied truthfully and lowered his body until he was on his haunches, his head level with Sakura's.

"You didn't tell me." It was a statement, filled with bitter contempt and hurt resignation. Had her eyes been open, a betrayed expression would have filled them.

"No, I didn't." Kakashi agreed in an even tone, not trying to placate the girl.

"So, everyone knew but me…" Sakura concluded with a biting edge to her tone, her voice cracking as she spoke the words with ironic amusement.

Kakashi remained silent, not feeling the need to respond to such a comment.

"My two best friends are having a sexual relationship and everyone conveniantly forgets to tell me." She continued, opening her eyes to glare at Kakashi. He didn't look away and simply met her gaze evenly with a silence that reeked of regret.

"You're smart Kakashi-sensei," Sakura mocked in a biting tone, "so tell me, where does this leave me?" She snapped, tears forming in her eyes again as she realized that suddenly she was all alone…again.

Like before Ino had tied the ribbon in her hair in an act of acceptance…

"Where does this leave you?" Kakashi repeated lazily, "It leaves you wherever you choose to be left."

_From the torrent, or the fountain,  
From the red cliff of the mountain,  
From the sun that round me rolled  
In its autumn tint of gold_

Sakura sneered at Kakashi, clenching her jaw against the new onslaught of tears that were insisting on falling.

She would be end up wherever she chose to be left?

That made absolutely no sense and she was tempted to say as much, but Sakura was sure that if she opened her mouth to speak all that would escape would be a pitiful sob.

Deciding that this reaction was her cue to end the conversation, Sakura closed her eyes again and gently laid her head upon her knees once more, her head facing away from Kakashi.

There was a brief moment where Kakashi drew a breath in, as if about to speak, giving Sakura the impression that he was going to say something, but, after reconsidering, he withdrew, leaping from the clearing.

Leaving her alone.

She sighed tiredly and let her mind carry her away and into a light slumber…

A familiar presence entering the clearance woke Sakura hours later. Tired green eyes opened as she hid an exhausted yawn behind her hand in a dainty manner.

"Sakura…" A timid voice inquired, cautiously drawing nearer to the balled up girl.

Naruto.

"What do you want?" She snapped, warily watching Naruto from the corner of her eye. Hurt subsided to livid anger as the reason for her pain stopped a few feet away from her.

"Um…" His voice was shaking.

Good.

"I, um, well, Sasuke would kill me if I told you I'm so-"

Sakura hissed in anger and clenched her fists. Naruto heard the sound and stopped.

"Er…oops?" He attempted to amend in a pathetic tone.

"Why aren't you off fucking Sasuke?" Sakura bit out sharply. The figure in front of her tensed defensively.

"We wouldn't!" He exclaimed quietly, his tone offensive, "We were worried about you, you-"

"My feelings didn't matter to you when you started, why should they now?" She growled back, an uncharacteristic anger bubbling inside of her.

If he didn't leave soon, Sakura would take no responsibility for her actions.

"Sakura, you're our friend, of course we care!" Naruto cried out, his arms flailing as he tried to convey his desperation physically.

"_Friends_ don't sleep around with each other's crushes." She hissed and stood up to gaze evenly across the moonlit clearing at Naruto.

"Sakura…I didn't mean to hurt you! I really didn't." He pleaded. Taking a step forward, Naruto extended his arms in a bleak gesture of melancholy hopelessness.

Sakura turned away from him, crossing her arms.

"Maybe your stupid pathetic pleas can seduce Sasuke but they have no affect on me." She informed him in a harsh matter-of-fact tone.

"But…wait a minute…" Naruto backtracked his eyes dimming, "Seduce?"

"Obviously," she mumbled bitterly, "Tell me Naruto, what jutsu did you use on him?" Sakura growled, her mind catching up with her words.

Of _course_! The reason Sasuke was with Naruto was because Naruto had put some strange jutsu on him…

Her eyes blazed as she realized what was going on…

She would kill Naruto with her own hands for taking advantage of _her_ Sasuke…

"What are you talking about?" Naruto yelled, his face contorted in furious confusion, "I know you're upset, but accusing me of _seducing_ and using some screwed up _love jutsu_ on Sasuke? That's too far!"

Sakura's eyes widened.

_Naruto_ was acting wronged again. Like her reaction to what she'd seen was irrational…

The little control Sakura had been maintaining over her frazzled nerves snapped.

"I went too far?" She hissed, "You _tricked_ Sasuke-kun into sleeping with you because you were lonely! But I guess I should have seen this coming huh?" She growled, her eyes glinting with a malicious streak even Sakura herself didn't know existed.

"I mean, what would an orphan know about friendships and compassion right? No one's ever loved you and I promise Naruto, no one ever will." Her voice cracked and her eyes watered up again, "I mean, why would Sasuke-kun choose you over me? You're a useless, dropout orphan that nobody has ever wanted or loved or cared about. People don't hate other people with no reason." Tears were streaming down her cheeks now.

"They hate people because of things they've done. I always thought people hated you because you played pranks and I ignored them when they told me to stay away from you. I stood up for you Naruto, and how do you thank me? How do you accept my friendship? By seducing the man that I love. That's low, even for someone like you." Sakura spit, ending her speech and glancing over her shoulder at Naruto.

As expected, his head was lowered and his bangs were shadowing his face. At his sides, Naruto's hands were shaking with an emotion Sakura didn't care to place.

She watched him with a sneer on her face, even Ino wouldn't have done this to her.

The funny thing was, she hadn't considered Ino her best friend, it had been Naruto that had filled that position.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, still glaring at Naruto.

"I'm sorry that I don't have any parents. And I'm sorry that you had to find out in such a way. And I'm sorry that I betrayed your trust in me. But Sakura-chan," Naruto raised his head to stare Sakura in the eye, "I'm not sorry that I fell in love with Sasuke and I'm not sorry that he feels the same way."

So that's how it was…

Somehow, Sakura had assumed that she could take out everything on Naruto and he would forgive her and not fight back. That he would take it and still want to be her friend.

The revelation that this wasn't true, possibly hurt even more than his betrayal. It hurt even more than seeing Naruto and Sasuke together in the clearing…

"You may not be sorry Naruto," Sakura whispered, her anger fading as tears rolled down her cheeks in unrelenting torrents, "But I am. I'm sorry that I ever considered you to be my friend." Her voice cracked and it took all her willpower to keep from collapsing to her knees from dehydration and exhaustion.

"So be it." And for the first time in their friendship, it was Naruto that walked away. Naruto that left Sakura for Sasuke.

It was Naruto that abandoned Sakura, leaving her alone.

_From the lightning in the sky  
As it passed me flying by,  
From the thunder and the storm,  
And the cloud that took the form  
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)  
Of a demon in my view._


	3. Chapter 3

**Vulnerable**

Poem: Dreams are not Real by **David K. Z**

_Mental images, subconscious_

sensations manifesting in delirium;  
sometimes in sleep.

You cannot touch them...

It was awhile before Sakura finally found the strength to bury her pride and return to the camp. However, her gait was slow and forced, as if she were a prisoner walking toward her execution.

Judging by the way Sasuke had acted earlier and what had just transpired with Naruto, she probably wasn't too far off in thinking this…

When Sakura finally reached the edge of the clearing where the camp was located, the first thing she noticed was that Kakashi was not present.

Meaning that Sasuke and Naruto were alone.

Hushed voices only solidified her assumptions.

"What the hell did she say to you Naruto?" Sasuke whispered lividly, the sound of the Uchiha heir grinding his teeth in frustration was loud enough for even Sakura to hear.

"I want to sleep." Naruto mumbled in a strained voice. The slight tremor in his tone settled in the pit of Sakura's stomach, giving her a heavy feeling.

"Don't lie to me." Sasuke snapped and the sound of shuffling and struggling bounced off the trees surrounding their tent. Sakura clenched her eyes shut, imagining the passionate look in Sasuke's eyes.

She'd only ever wanted Sasuke to acknowledge her. She'd never hoped to see the passion blaze in his eyes when he looked at her the way it did when he looked at Naruto… but to be acknowledged…

"Naruto…" Sasuke's voice was stiff and demanding. "Would you quit being so stubborn and tell me what the hell she said?" Sasuke hissed quietly and his hand must have lightly thumped Naruto over the head, for the other boy gave a startled yelp.

"So that you can rip her to shreds like the possessive bastard you are?" Naruto growled back in irritation, probably rubbing his head because of habit rather than pain.

A tense silence followed, in which Sakura steeled her jaw against the response she knew Sasuke was going to give.

"She's my friend too, Naruto." Sasuke murmured in a soft voice.

Sakura's strangled gasp of shock was drowned out by Sasuke continuing.

"I'll admit I'm furious with her…but I don't think I'd rip her to shreds… unless she did something really nasty." The smirk was evident in Sasuke's voice, but Sakura judged from the pregnant pause that followed, Naruto didn't find the humour in this statement.

"We should have told her Sasuke." The muffled quality of Naruto's voice indicated that he and Sasuke were close. Embracing perhaps…

"What would we have said?" Sasuke countered irritably, "Oh by the way Sakura, we're madly in love with each other, there's nothing you can do to change that and from now on you're going to be a third wheel?" The bitter edge in Sasuke's voice rang clear through the thin material of the tent.

"Maybe she wouldn't have been so mad," Naruto's voice cracked and he released a shaky sigh, "I just wish-"

"Did you apologize to her for being with me?" Sasuke suddenly interjected with venom in his tone.

Sakura had to admit she was surprised at the abrupt and out of place topic. Apparently, Naruto was equally as startled.

"…Sasuke?" His voice was laced with concern as a low growl emanated in Sasuke's throat.

"Just answer the goddamn question. Did you, or did you not apologize to Sakura?" Sasuke snapped and the sound of two bodies disengaging dragged upon the grass beneath them.

"I apologized for a lot of things Sasuke," Naruto started and Sakura could just see the dim, clouded expression in his eyes, "but I never apologized for loving you." His voice was sturdy.

"What the hell do you need to apologize for?" Sasuke's aura bristled with discontent.

"She's hurting Sasuke…" Naruto attempted to reason, but Sasuke would have none of it.

"Yeah well, so the fuck are you."

"Sasuk-"

Naruto never finished his sentence, seeing as his lips were suddenly captured in what Sakura could only guess was a passionate kiss. The sound of their lips smacking echoed through her mind on repeat, bringing other images to the forefront.

_Objective truth  
is  
harsh.  
Unwavering,  
uncaring,   
unsympathetic.  
Quant-  
ifiable,_

"Go to sleep dobe, you're tired." Sasuke murmured affectionately before rising to his feet and leaving the tent. His confident strides led him to the campfire, which he easily stoked back to life.

If only friendship was rekindled so easily, Sakura thought sadly as she tentatively approached. Some part of her hoped that Sasuke wouldn't notice her presence as she made her way to her tent, but the logical portion of her brain knew no such event was going to occur.

"Sakura." Sasuke stated in a sharp tone. He was seated on a log in front of the fire with his back to Sakura.

She paused in the myriad of shadows being cast by the blaze and stared at his back with a growing feeling of dread.

Of all the people she feared passing judgment upon her, it was Sasuke's perception she feared most.

Sakura said nothing and stood still, immobilized with fear, as a deer caught in headlights.

The gentle way Sasuke stoked the fire was reminiscent of the way he tenderly caressed Naruto as they…

No.

The hush continued until Sakura was under the impression that she was dismissed. As she made to move away, Sasuke turned a piercing ruby gaze on her.

"From this point forward you are not going to blame Naruto for the sight you stumbled upon." Sasuke's voice could almost be considered business-like as he addressed her with cold calculation. That is, if there hadn't been a far too personal hint of anger tainting his tone.

"And who would you rather I blame? You?" Sakura hesitantly stepped towards Sasuke piteously. She hadn't expected his pity. But his friendship… she'd heard from his own mouth that he considered her a friend.

"The dobe is stupid enough to put weight on your opinion." Sasuke said as means of reply.

Sakura knew how that sentence was meant to end, _"I, however, do not."_

"What do you expect me to do Sasuke?" Sakura begged in a desperate tone, quiet enough so as to not wake Naruto if he were in fact asleep. "I love you!"

"And I love Naruto." Sasuke replied matter-of-factly. Sakura shuddered at these words.

How could Sasuke possibly _love_ Naruto?

"But…he's annoying and loud and-"

"You aren't?" Sasuke interrupted skeptically, his eyebrow raised cynically.

"You want to hurt me don't you?" Sakura accused wearily as she took an unsteady step away from Sasuke's piercing glare.

"As long as hurt Naruto, I will hurt you in return."

_measurable. The Truth._

...it is cold...

Sakura started at this, she hadn't expected such a response. She'd expected--no hoped-- that Sasuke would act as Naruto had and tell her that he wanted to make things right.

Better.

Sakura was on the verge of retreating to her tent to shudder with dry sobs, but paused. There was something inside of her that wanted to prod Sasuke, push his buttons the way he was toying with and testing hers.

"If I were to tell you that what I'd said earlier -of hoping that Naruto will pass way on this mission- was true, how would you respond?" She kept her face and voice calm, a difficult feat for a girl as expressive as Sakura was.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I would kill you with my own hands regardless of the consequences if he died and you had any part in it."

That was certainly unexpected, Sakura thought with a jolt as she took in the burning emotion in Sasuke's eyes.

It was the passion she'd never before been able to evoke in him. Yet, even now, it wasn't really her that that emotion was blazing for.

"Well then, I'll be wary to cover my tracks so that Naruto manages to get killed with his own fool brain." Sakura murmured and walked away, a part of her marveling at the detached tone in her voice.

"The Sakura I befriended would never say such things…"

Sakura stopped.

Sasuke had just…

No…

He'd called her his…

Friend?

All at once, Sakura came crashing back to her body and into her regular frame of mind, only to find that she was shaking.

What had happened?

She'd said all those things with her own mouth, only it hadn't been her speaking.

It had been words that perhaps Neji or Sasuke would say, but never her.

Perhaps sudden situations and wounds of the mind and heart attacked more than your emotions.

Perhaps they affected sanity as well…

"Have a good night Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered and continued to her tent.

_How can a dream be real?  
You aren't possible;  
but you exist:_

Once within the confines of her tent Sakura sat down upon the mossy ground and clenched her eyes shut, drawing forced, but steady breaths in an attempt to calm her shaken body.

She'd just insinuated that she wanted Naruto dead.

Her closest friend.

She was horrified with herself.

Was she really that desperate to prove to Sasuke how much she loved him?

Was she really that desperate to _be _with him?

Except, Sakura knew that if she harmed Naruto she would never be with Sasuke…

'It leaves you wherever you choose to be left.'

Kakashi's words flickered through the open file of Sakura's thoughts and she bit her lip.

She'd already lost… she'd already been left.

She'd threatened to kill her closest friend, she'd made him apologize for circumstances beyond his control and she'd begrudged him the happiness he'd never before had.

She sighed and lay down, wondering how people like Itachi and Orochimaru could live with the sins of their betrayal with detachment while her sin, a mere thought never to be acted upon, tore her apart from the inside and spit her out for the world and her own hazy green eyes to observe.

The worst part was, she'd brought this upon herself.

_How could you?_


End file.
